The 7th story in the Black Widowers case files, Isaac Asimov wrote it for Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine (July 1973 issue).
Avalon is host, and his guest is Simon Levy, an author of science fact. Gonzalo is first to arrive, and we get confirmation that his absence last month was due to handling events from "Early Sunday Morning". This sets the tone of the meeting to something more subdued than typical, until Rubin and Trumbull get into an argument over the Acts of Union. Mr Levy asks how common such arguments are, and Avalon explains that the volume is a bit more than typical, which is why they have several reference books, such as The Complete Works of Shakespeare.
After dinner, Trumbull grills Mr Levy, and he tells the group about how he's been searching for an envelope of bonds left by his grandfather-in-law. The relative was dying as he pointed to his copy of The Complete Works of Shakespeare on the bookshelf. After the trip to the hospital and arranging the funeral, they come back and cannot find the bonds. Fortunately, Henry figures it out, and Mr Levy calls home to confirm his solution.
This story has been reprinted twice; Tales of the Black Widowers (1974), and The Best Mysteries Of Isaac Asimov (1986).
Pointing out the following tropes:
- The Bet: During dinner, Rubin and Trumbull get into a debate over the Act of Union. They each place five dollars on the table and get Henry to verify the answer from the encyclopedia for them.
- Book Safe: (Double Subverted) Mr Levy had assumed his dying grandfather-in-law had left his inheritance in The Complete Works of Shakespeare because he was pointing to it on the bookshelf when he was dying. The inheritance was taped to the back of the bookshelf.
- Continuity Nod: Gonzalo missed last month's meeting because he was talking to the police after the events of "Early Sunday Morning".
- Driving Question: Where are the bonds?
- Dying Clue:
- Mr Levy's grandfather-in-law was dying and trying to communicate to his descendants where he had left his inheritance. Since he couldn't speak, he pointed in the direction of the bookshelf where The Complete Works of Shakespeare sat. Mr Levy is unable to figure out the location of the hidden inheritance until Henry shares a suggestion.
- (Discussed Trope) Henry says the use of the "dying hint" in Mystery Fiction breaks his Suspension of Disbelief because he doesn't understand how someone in the last two minutes of their life are able to encrypt a message that proves difficult for multiple intelligent people for hours. Therefore, the recently deceased must have been trying to state something relatively obvious.
- Exact Words: (Zig-Zagging Trope) Mr Levy's grandfather-in-law couldn't speak from the stroke he was having, but insisted on trying to tell his granddaughter and husband where he had hidden their inheritance. So he has them turn his chair around until he's facing the bookshelf, where he points at The Complete Works of Shakespeare. His finger is only inches away when he dies, so Mr Levy assumes it's in the book. When he finally has time to check, it's not there. So he pours over every page in the book, looking for some hidden clue relying on an alternative meaning of a phrase to discover the location of the inheritance. For months. The mystery is finally solved when Henry explains that the grandfather-in-law was probably pointing past the book, and to the back of the bookshelves. The exact direction he was pointing was important.
- Fairplay Whodunnit: The clues are all presented during the grilling, and Henry is unusually involved. The audience can deduce the correct answer when Henry announces that he believes the focus on William Shakespeare is a Red Herring.
- Fancy Dinner: The Black Widowers meet every month at the Milano, a fancy restaurant in New York City, tonight's dinner is baked potato, with coupe aux marrons for dessert.
- Framing Device: The Fancy Dinner and grilling provide a setting and characters to discuss how an envelope of bonds could be hidden for months.
- The Namesake: The eponymous finger refers to the Dying Clue left by Mr Levy's grandfather-in-law; he was pointing to the inheritance he had hidden.
- Newhart Phonecall: Mr Levy asks for a phone so he can call his wife. Since the perspective is limited to the meeting room, we only hear Mr Levy's dialogue, but we can infer that Mrs Levy found the missing bonds.
- Orwellian Retcon: Dr Asimov edited the beginning of this story in Tales of the Black Widowers, because he wanted more references to earlier events than the editor of Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine was willing to accept.
- Phone-In Detective: Henry is able to deduce the mystery of the missing bonds once he realizes that the discussion about William Shakespeare depends too much on a complicated clue being conveyed by a dying man.
- Self-Deprecation: Rubin says that Isaac Asimov is so conceited that he carries around an encyclopedia just to show off the article for his achievements.
- Shout-Out:
- To Columbia Encyclopedia, a nonfiction book the Widowers keep on hand to resolve disputes.
- The club keeps two different versions of The Bible on hand to resolve disputes; King James and the New English translations.
- As reference material to resolve arguments, the club keeps several books by Webster; the second edition of Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, Webster's Biographical Dictionary, and Webster's Geographical Dictionary.
- To The Guinness Book of Records, a nonfiction reference book the club keeps around to resolve disputes.
- To Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, a nonfiction reference book the club keeps around to resolve disputes.
- To The Complete Works of Shakespeare compiled by Kitterage, a book the club keeps around to resolve disputes regarding the Bard. Several of his plays are mentioned by name in this story.
- To demonstrate Mr Levy's grandfather-in-law was a well-read man, War and Peace is one of the books he enjoyed.
- To the song "Quartet" (better known as Bella figlia dell'amore) from Rigoletto (an opera by Giuseppe Verdi), is presented as the best example of opera.
- Written-In Absence:
- Gonzalo explains why he was absent from "The Obvious Factor".
- Avalon announces to the club that Halsted won't be present for tonight's meeting.
